Ascot Vale Campus

Ascot Vale Campus, Secure Welfare | Parkville College

The Ascot Vale Campus provides education and supports vulnerable at-risk young boys aged between 0 to 17 years old.

Secure Welfare Services (SWS) form part of a continuum of strengthened care and protection services for child protection clients, who are at a substantial and immediate risk of harm. The aim of Secure Welfare is to keep children safe whilst a suitable case plan is established to reduce the risk of harm and return them to the community as soon as possible, in a safe and planned way.

Placement at either Secure Welfare site is a response within the statutory protection and care system for children who require a highly structured setting during a significant crisis. This service is considered an option of last resort where containment is deemed necessary, and when the broader protection and care network cannot manage or reduce the risks to the child. As Secure Welfare is a secure facility, placement at a Secure Welfare site is the most extreme form of protective intervention and all other options must be explored first, and relevant human rights considered.

A child subject to a custody or guardianship order may be placed at a Secure Welfare site for a period not exceeding 21 days if the Secretary or the court is satisfied that there is a substantial and immediate risk of harm.

In response to the diverse array of abilities, demographics, learning difficulties, length of stay and backgrounds, Parkville College teachers at the Ascot Vale Campus have developed a flexible curriculum to meet students’ varying needs and interests.

At the Secure Welfare campuses, the Parkville College teachers focus on making the children and young people feel safe and secure within their environment. Parkville College follows a trauma informed practice approach, in which teachers are sensitive to a student’s emotional state; they give space, offer choice and allow time for decision-making, with awareness and sensitivity to previous and ongoing trauma.

‘By creating secure attachments, children can explore their world, always knowing that they can come back to their basecamp, when they do not feel safe or are uncertain’ John Hattie.